Game On: Coke Zero, Riot Games Launch ‘League of Legends’ Challenger Series to Give Amateurs a Path to the Pros

Competitors around
the world will have a shot at the pros in 2014 through a first-of-its-kind
partnership between Coke Zero and Riot Games, creators of the wildly popular
League of Legends game.

A new Challenger Series
will give aspiring players a clear path to the League Championship Series (LCS), the
top tier of competitive play, Riot announced today in advance of the League of Legends Season 3 World
Finals at the sold-out Staples Center, where fans in the arena and online will
watch teams compete for the title in an electric atmosphere rivaling any major
sporting event.

“Now’s the perfect time
to get involved with the passionate League of Legends community, and to help
support and grow eSports,” said Matt Wolf, head of global gaming at
Coca-Cola.

League of Legends – which
challenges teams of five players to take control of their enemy’s end of the
battlefield in an intense and highly strategic battle – is part of the
fast-growing eSports genre followed by a passionate, fiercely loyal legion
of enthusiasts who compete and watch online.

The 2012 League of Legends World Finals.

An estimated 32 million people
worldwide play League of Legends each month, many of whom hope to compete
professionally. According to Wolf, the Challenger Series will build a path for
talented amateur teams who aspire to join the LCS.

“Only the best of the
best players have a shot at the LCS,” he explains. “We want to open up the
league and give amateurs a way to break in to the professional ranks and earn
valuable experience competing on a bigger stage for higher stakes."

League of Legends is a big-time draw for spectators, too. Fans pack stadiums to watch tournaments
presented with elaborate staging, floor-to-ceiling LCD screens and live color
commentary. More than 8 million viewers streamed last year’s World Finals
online, and Riot expects even bigger numbers this weekend.

"Some games are like
movies, and some are like amusement parks. League of Legends is like a sport,”
explains Brandon Beck, who co-founded Riot Games in 2006.

The U.S. government
agrees. Earlier this year, the State Department recognized League of Legends as
a professional sport. Players around the world can now train and compete in the
U.S. under specific work visas provided for pro athletes.

Matt Wolf, head of global gaming, The Coca-Cola Company.

Through the partnership
with Riot Games, Coke Zero will promote an active approach to game training and
educate and encourage players on ways to improve their physical and mental
fitness to compete at the highest level.

“League of Legends rewards
fast thinking and decision-making,” Wolf said. “It’s basketball meets chess...
it’s a five-on-five team sport, with each player handling a different role, and it’s also
very strategic because players must think a few moves ahead and read their
opponents.”

He adds, “We want to
stress that taking a holistic, mind-body-spirit approach to eSports gaming will
make you better. Teams in Korea – where eSports has a storied history – have
adopted this approach because they know it works. And as amateur teams embrace this
approach and float up to the professional ranks through the Challenger Series,
thousands of players will follow suit.”

Full
details of the Challenger Series will be announced by early 2014. For Wolf, a
veteran gamer and award-winning game developer, the partnership is a labor of
love.

“I have responsibility to this community to deliver something authentic
that adds value,” he concluded.

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, offering over 500 brands to people in more than 200 countries. Of our 21 billion-dollar brands, 19 are available in lower- or no-sugar options to help people moderate their consumption of added sugar. In addition to our namesake Coca-Cola drinks, some of our leading brands around the world include: AdeS soy-based beverages, Ayataka green tea, Dasani waters, Del Valle juices and nectars, Fanta, Georgia coffee, Gold Peak teas and coffees, Honest Tea, Minute Maid juices, Powerade sports drinks, Simply juices, smartwater, Sprite, vitaminwater, and Zico coconut water. At Coca-Cola, we’re serious about making positive contributions to the world. That starts with reducing sugar in our drinks and continuing to introduce new ones with added benefits. It also means continuously working to reduce our environmental impact, creating rewarding careers for our associates and bringing economic opportunity wherever we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people around the world.